video + action

[outstandingbalance]

Who: Natasha Romanoff
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Vanquish & Heron
When: Now

[The video begins with Natasha's face, the picture close to crop out most of the background, though what little is visible would seem to indicate she's in a cargo bay. Her expression is largely stoic, but she looks tired—and her bleach job is growing out, showing red roots.]

For those of you who hadn't noticed yet, Captain Barnes form the Heron is gone. You may have known him as Winter or Bucky, depending on when and how you met. He left a few days ago and is no longer on the ship rosters.

I'm collecting his personal effects to sort and store. If anyone had an interest in any of his things, check in with me on the Vanquish.

[There's a slight frown around her mouth, like maybe she's second guessing making this broadcast in the first place. After her brief hesitation, she commits to finishing the message.]

I suppose, the same goes for Sam Wilson. I've been keeping most of his things since he left too.

[Then a thin smile.]

Congratulations to the new captains, and thank you for letting me raid your ships.

Comments

video

[sassy_assassin]

[ Sara gets the message and knows a girl in need of a drink when she sees one ]

Hey. You need help moving anything?

[outstandingbalance]

I think I have the moving part under control. Mostly done already.

[Sara's not wrong about that. It's quite possible there's been some drinking done already, though Natasha hides it well.]

Thanks for asking, though.

[sassy_assassin]

Well, what about the drinking part? Are you done with that yet?

[outstandingbalance]

Which drinking part was that?

[sassy_assassin]

Well, when people disappear, first there's the looting part, then there's the moving part, and then there's drinking part.

It's cosmic law.

text; encrypted

[unbearablynaive]

[...Oh. No, he hadn't heard. Granted that he'd always kept a more passive eye on the ships that aren't his own, but somehow he'd thought the Heron was exempt from that. He'd counted on Winter to be there, to have his back if it ever came to ship-to-ship combat again. A silly thought, perhaps, because it wasn't like they had been the best of friends...

...but they had been friends. And he'd understood the man, or at least had a much better understanding of him here than he'd ever managed at home, no doubt because of the hectic nature of things whenever Barnes was involved in something. Now, the Vision himself is living proof that sometimes people who leave do come back, but the hundreds--hundreds--of names on Makie's rememberance tree at the Iskaulit are proof that most? Most people don't. Or if they do, they don't remember, and nobody remembers at home. Not to mention that there had been at least three or four different versions of James Buchanan Barnes here that he could easily remember, so what are the chances they were even from the same timeline to begin with?

Odds are, the Winter he knew is gone for real.]

I am truly sorry to hear that, Natasha. I always felt he was someone I could rely on, not in spite of what had happened but because of it. I saw him grow from a shattered wreck, a tool of those who twisted him for their own purposes, into a fully realized man with a drive to do good and to help those under his protection. It was truly remarkable, and I am honored to have known him.

Captain Rogers believed in Bucky because of the man he had once known, believing he was under the shell all along. I believed in Winter because of the man he became: loyal, determined, resolute, and all the stronger for the hurt that had been done to him.

Memory was always a complicated subject with him. It would mean a great deal to me if I might have something to remember him by, if you don't mind.

[outstandingbalance]

[It's thoughtful of him to message via text rather than video. What Vision has to say touches something in her. Neither of them had known the Bucky that Steve knew before the war, but both of them had seen the man who remade himself from the pieces.

It's a short wait before she replies.]

Of course. We can find something. He had a lot of time to collect things from different people.

[unbearablynaive]

[Perhaps part of it was courtesy; part of it was most certainly that he's upset by the news, and that it's easier to gather one's thoughts in text.]

I'll take anything of Wrath's that he might have had in his keeping, as well. She was another who had a complicated relationship with memory, and I'm not surprised their friendship became as strong as it was.

I think I'll go to her mural on the Iskaulit for a while.

[Because it does feature Winter on it, and it seems as good a place as any to go have an emotion.]

[outstandingbalance]

I'm sure there are some things. He had some keepsakes from her.

[And while Natasha had been fond enough of Wrath, it wasn't the same sort of relationship. If Vision would appreciate them more, she didn't have a problem letting him have them.]

I think he'd like having someone who cared for her keep her things for him.

video; encrypted

[seeingscarlet]

[See, some of those spy lessons did sink in. Wanda knows Nat well enough to assume that she'd probably prefer something a little more secure if there's a possibility of feelings.

She also knows better than to open with 'are you all right' or anything like that.]

You look like you could use a drink.

[outstandingbalance]

[Wanda's learned well. Natasha appreciates the privacy, even if it comes with the implication that she hasn't done such a good job hiding how Barnes' disappearance has affected her. Especially coming after losing so many other friends.]

You know, you're the second person to say that. Guess it must be true.

[seeingscarlet]

[Or Wanda just understands loss well enough to recognize it in someone else.]

That or chocolate, but all we have is malt balls.

[A beat. She's probably not doing the best job of acting like she's not worried.] Do you need help? It sounds like a lot to do by yourself.

[outstandingbalance]

More in the mood for a drink now. [As much as she's in the mood for anything. What she's mostly like to do is keep busy, push any feelings she's having down or away, but...] How about I take a break. I've been at this for a while.

action;;

[postocular]

[ Losing people is always hard, but it's especially felt by those who knew the person best. Carl didn't know Bucky, had only really seen him on the network a few times, but he knew Natasha did. Rather intimately. This doesn't seem like the consoling that should be done via communicator, so instead, he makes his way over to the Vanquish to check on her instead. ]

Hey.. Do you want any help?

[ It's the least he can offer. Help, or a distraction. Maybe she just needs to fight it out? ]

[outstandingbalance]

[It's a good choice on Carl's part. If he'd asked that over the network, she'd have told him no, that she had it under control. But here he is, and here Natasha is deciding what of Bucky's things she wants to keep in her quarters and what to put in storage on her own.

So what's she going to say?]

Wouldn't mind a little help. At least some company?

[postocular]

I can do both, just tell me what you need done.

[ He knows enough about Natasha to know that something so readily available isn't a great place for feelings. ]

[outstandingbalance]

[She hesitates, not really sure what to have him do. This project wasn't really developed to delegate tasks to others.]

You can put those boxes up. I've already gone through them.

action.

[rebuildyourruins]

[Thor hadn't been particularly familiar with Bucky, but he did know from quite early on in his time here that Natasha had been seeing the man. It wasn't a topic of conversation that came up after their first one. It didn't seem like the kind of thing Natasha would discuss, or that Thor would ask her about.

Maybe he should have.

Rather than send a communicator response, Thor heads over to the Vanquish, a ship he hasn't visited before. It doesn't take much work however to find Natasha in one of the rooms.]

I saw your message.

[outstandingbalance]

And decided to visit. [She's not sure if she should be surprised by that or not. It's not out of character for Thor to check on a friend. she's not really sure if she even is surprised. Mostly she's trying not to pay too much attention to her feelings.] You want to sit down?

[rebuildyourruins]

Yeah, I thought you might want some company.

[At the question he shrugs.]

Sure.

[outstandingbalance]

Well, I won't kick you out. [She wouldn't have asked for it. Might has claimed not to want it. But... it's a small comfort to have him here. He seems like a strong, solid presence, and she could use that.] There's a lot to go through. He was here for years.

video; private

[candothat]

[If another friend was broadcasting about recent exits, Pavel would send some kind of private message or find her and hug her or offer to listen if she wants to talk or something. Since Natasha is Natasha and not someone else, he's at a bit of a loss as to what the most helpful course of action is.]

Would you like company, Tasha? ...If not, that's fine. Or if you would like to be alone now but not later, that's also fine.

[outstandingbalance]

Pretty bad, huh? Seems like everyone's worried now.

Sorry about that.

[candothat]

Don't worry, you were perfectly stoic in your broadcast.

And maybe I was asking if you would tolerate company for my benefit, not for yours.

[outstandingbalance]

You needing some company, Pasha? [Using a nickname to soften her irony. Or maybe the other way around.]